Valerie Harper has terminal brain cancer - Sitcoms Online Message Boards

Penny Lane · 03-06-2013, 03:34 PM

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TV Star Valerie Harper Has Terminal Brain Cancer — Report

by Tracy Phillips | March 6, 2013 at 8:22 AM | Celebrities, TV News, XFINITY Streampix

Valerie Harper (Photo: Frederick M. Brown/Getty Images)

Actress Valerie Harper has revealed she has terminal brain cancer.

Harper, 73, tells People magazine that she has leptomeningeal carcinomatosis, a rare condition that occurs when cancer cells spread into the fluid-filled membrane surrounding the brain.

Doctors say she has as little as three months left to live. Harper received the devastating news on Jan. 15.

“I was stunned,” Harper says of receiving the diagnosis. “And in the next minute I thought, ‘This could draw more attention to cancer research.’ I think there’s an opportunity to help people.”

“I don’t think of dying,” she tells People in the exclusive cover story. “I think of being here now.”

“Don’t miss your life,” Harper adds.

Harper previously battled lung cancer in 2009.

The TV star is best known for playing neurotic New Yorker Rhoda Morgenstern, Mary Richards’ sidekick in the classic sitcom “The Mary Tyler Moore Show” (1970-1977). Harper then starred in the successful spin-off, “Rhoda,” from 1974 to 1978.

AB · 03-06-2013, 04:05 PM

Very sad to hear about her cancer.

MrCleveland · 03-06-2013, 04:38 PM

I hope she does okay in her last days...brain cancer is the worst! (I lost my aunt from brain cancer).

80sTrivia · 03-06-2013, 04:45 PM

So devastating to hear. Love Valerie Harper and the character of Rhoda will live on forever...

I had to write a piece about Valerie for my blog:
http://www.migueldante.com/2013/03/a...sed-with.html#

robyrob · 03-06-2013, 05:14 PM

so very sad - literally nothing you can do in that situation...

Penny Lane · 03-06-2013, 08:07 PM

So sad. I hope she won't have to suffer pain. She seems to be accepting of it but I'm sure she is still afraid. I know I would be. I have been watching my Mary Tyler Moore dvd's and Rhoda is so funny! I love her character I also read her book recently. God bless her and her family. Love to you Valerie!

Coffeecup · 03-06-2013, 08:36 PM

My mom had brain cancer. She didn't linger long. One month. She was 83.
I am so sorry to hear about Valerie. She is still young. She was so funny as Rhoda.

Family Ties Forever! · 03-06-2013, 09:49 PM

That's sad. She was funny as Rhoda on The Mary Tyler Moore Show.

ZeldaGilroy · 03-06-2013, 09:55 PM

This makes me so sad. I actually cried when I read it earlier. Praying for peace for her and her family.

ponytail · 03-07-2013, 06:13 AM

My prayers are with her.

Marvo301 · 03-07-2013, 02:52 PM

It speaks volumes about the character of the woman that one of her first thoughts after her diagnoses was that this was an opportunity to help other people! God bless you Valerie!!

Yooch · 03-07-2013, 08:00 PM

She has been in my prayers since I heard the news.

PZelda · 03-08-2013, 01:49 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ZeldaGilroy

This makes me so sad. I actually cried when I read it earlier. Praying for peace for her and her family.

Me too!! I get misty-eyed every time I think about this whole thing, so I try not to dwell on it too much.

The same day I heard about her diagnosis was the same day I found out one of my fave shows (which has been on the air for 10 years now) is ending this year... I was seriously so bummed! I haven't been this bummed about showbiz news since John Ritter died. (I cried a lot that day!)

I literally squee'd when I was at B&N in January and saw her new book on the non-fiction new releases table. Adore her, always have. I don't remember a time when I didn't adore her - I unfortunately was not born in the 1970s (or early enough to have been able to watch MTM/Rhoda in the 70s), but the reruns were on when I was a kid so I watched them and loved them. Her new book is FREAKING AWESOME. I finished it in 3 days, I think.

Also the name Valerie was up for consideration when my mom was pregnant with me - so it's neat to think about.

Penny Lane · 03-08-2013, 02:50 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by PZelda

Me too!! I get misty-eyed every time I think about this whole thing, so I try not to dwell on it too much.

The same day I heard about her diagnosis was the same day I found out one of my fave shows (which has been on the air for 10 years now) is ending this year... I was seriously so bummed! I haven't been this bummed about showbiz news since John Ritter died. (I cried a lot that day!)

I literally squee'd when I was at B&N in January and saw her new book on the non-fiction new releases table. Adore her, always have. I don't remember a time when I didn't adore her - I unfortunately was not born in the 1970s (or early enough to have been able to watch MTM/Rhoda in the 70s), but the reruns were on when I was a kid so I watched them and loved them. Her new book is FREAKING AWESOME. I finished it in 3 days, I think.

Also the name Valerie was up for consideration when my mom was pregnant with me - so it's neat to think about.

Oh Alison! You make me feel ancient!

I was married for 2 years when MTM debuted in 1970. My husband and I never missed Saturday night tv back then. We watched All In The Family, The Bob Newhart Show, MTM and The Carol Burnett Show. They sure don't have lineups like that anymore!

My husband had crushes on Valerie and Suzanne Pleshette. He likes dark haired women!

I am a blonde. He and I both thought that Rhoda was the beauty on MTM. Oh well, back to the subject. This is just so sad. Her book was great! My favorite episode is "Rhoda The Beautiful" where she wins Hempel's beauty contest. It was so touching when Rhoda finally told Mary that she actually won. She was almost in tears that she, "Rhoda", actually won! I get teary when I watch that.

I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE Valerie!

catlover79 · 03-08-2013, 03:44 PM

God bless you, Val!!!

03-06-2013, 03:34 PM	#1
Penny Lane Butter Pie Forum Icon Join Date: Jul 03, 2001 Location: Beneath the blue suburban skies Posts: 51,194	Valerie Harper has terminal brain cancer TV Blog Search: enhanced by Google TV Star Valerie Harper Has Terminal Brain Cancer — Report by Tracy Phillips \| March 6, 2013 at 8:22 AM \| Celebrities, TV News, XFINITY Streampix Valerie Harper (Photo: Frederick M. Brown/Getty Images) Actress Valerie Harper has revealed she has terminal brain cancer. Harper, 73, tells People magazine that she has leptomeningeal carcinomatosis, a rare condition that occurs when cancer cells spread into the fluid-filled membrane surrounding the brain. Doctors say she has as little as three months left to live. Harper received the devastating news on Jan. 15. “I was stunned,” Harper says of receiving the diagnosis. “And in the next minute I thought, ‘This could draw more attention to cancer research.’ I think there’s an opportunity to help people.” “I don’t think of dying,” she tells People in the exclusive cover story. “I think of being here now.” “Don’t miss your life,” Harper adds. Harper previously battled lung cancer in 2009. The TV star is best known for playing neurotic New Yorker Rhoda Morgenstern, Mary Richards’ sidekick in the classic sitcom “The Mary Tyler Moore Show” (1970-1977). Harper then starred in the successful spin-off, “Rhoda,” from 1974 to 1978. Attached Images
	__________________ Vulgarity is no substitute for wit- Lady Violet Crawley

03-06-2013, 04:38 PM	#3
MrCleveland Drew Carey from Hell Forum Star Join Date: Nov 10, 2007 Location: The City of Cleveland, in The State of Cleveland, in The United States of Cleveland Posts: 14,223	I hope she does okay in her last days...brain cancer is the worst! (I lost my aunt from brain cancer).
	__________________ Thank God for kids that love Obscure Things. Lee Hazlewood (1929-2007) You ARE Special to God! Rev. Ernest Angely (August 1921-May 2021)

03-06-2013, 04:45 PM	#4
80sTrivia Member Forum Celebrity Join Date: May 23, 2002 Posts: 21,715	So devastating to hear. Love Valerie Harper and the character of Rhoda will live on forever... I had to write a piece about Valerie for my blog: http://www.migueldante.com/2013/03/a...sed-with.html#
	__________________ Perfect Gift Books for Pop Culture Fanatics: Thank You for Being a Friend: A Golden Girls Trivia Book The Bouquet Residence: A Keeping Up Appearances Trivia Book Cooking With the Golden Girls: Fun & Delicious Recipes from a Hilarious Miami Kitchen Love in the Afternoon: The Ultimate Soap Opera Trivia Book The Last Great Decade: The Ultimate 90s Trivia Book Betty White: A Celebration

03-06-2013, 05:14 PM	#5
robyrob certified wackball#3 Moderator Forum Icon Join Date: Aug 03, 2003 Location: hiding under the third booth at Arnold's Posts: 58,189	so very sad - literally nothing you can do in that situation...
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03-06-2013, 09:49 PM	#8
Family Ties Forever! Member Forum Fanatic Join Date: Apr 16, 2002 Location: Keaton residence Posts: 10,214	That's sad. She was funny as Rhoda on The Mary Tyler Moore Show.
	__________________ Jenny

03-06-2013, 04:05 PM	#2
AB Member Eternal Member Forum Icon Join Date: Dec 26, 2006 Location: The South Posts: 59,429	Very sad to hear about her cancer.

03-06-2013, 08:07 PM	#6
Penny Lane Butter Pie Forum Icon Join Date: Jul 03, 2001 Location: Beneath the blue suburban skies Posts: 51,194	So sad. I hope she won't have to suffer pain. She seems to be accepting of it but I'm sure she is still afraid. I know I would be. I have been watching my Mary Tyler Moore dvd's and Rhoda is so funny! I love her character I also read her book recently. God bless her and her family. Love to you Valerie!

03-06-2013, 08:36 PM	#7
Coffeecup coffeecup. Forum 3000 Club Member Join Date: Jan 17, 2003 Location: snoozeville Posts: 3,183	My mom had brain cancer. She didn't linger long. One month. She was 83. I am so sorry to hear about Valerie. She is still young. She was so funny as Rhoda.

03-06-2013, 09:55 PM	#9
ZeldaGilroy Dobie and Zelda Forever!!! Forum 4000 Club Member Join Date: Nov 14, 2000 Location: I don't know...I'm probably lost! Posts: 4,144	This makes me so sad. I actually cried when I read it earlier. Praying for peace for her and her family.
	__________________ *Formerly FactsFan* "I always carry a spare wedding ring. A single girl never knows when lightning may strike." ~Zelda Gilroy

03-07-2013, 06:13 AM	#10
ponytail Member Forum 4000 Club Member Join Date: Mar 20, 2004 Location: In Happy, Healthy, Wealthyville Posts: 4,273	My prayers are with her.

03-07-2013, 02:52 PM	#11
Marvo301 I'm NOT a Blockhead! Forum Celebrity Join Date: May 17, 2002 Location: The Great White North Posts: 21,453	It speaks volumes about the character of the woman that one of her first thoughts after her diagnoses was that this was an opportunity to help other people! God bless you Valerie!!
	__________________ Only a life lived for others is worth living. Albert Einstein A life isn't worth living unless it has impact on other lives. Jackie Robinson Be always at war with your vices, at peace with your neighbors, and let each new year find you a better man. Benjamin Franklin

03-07-2013, 08:00 PM	#12
Yooch Member Forum 3000 Club Member Join Date: Apr 07, 2006 Location: California Posts: 3,180	She has been in my prayers since I heard the news.
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03-08-2013, 03:44 PM	#15
catlover79 God Bless Val Forum Addict Join Date: May 29, 2006 Location: Bewitched in Ohio Posts: 70,376	God bless you, Val!!!
	__________________ "Jesus loves you and He approves this message." "I'm alive. I'm feeling good. I'm trying to live every moment as much as I can." - Valerie Harper, March 2013